Nearly 60 French actors and other prominent figures have denounced the “lynching” of disgraced film legend Gérard Depardieu, who is accused of rape and faces other allegations of sexual assault.
An open letter signed by British actress Charlotte Rampling, former French first lady and singer Carla Bruni and Depardieu's former partner, actress Carole Bouquet, said the star had fallen victim to a “torrent of hate”.
“Gérard Depardieu is probably the greatest of all actors,” said the letter, published on Christmas Day in the French newspaper Le Figaro.
Depardieu, who has made more than 200 films and television series, was charged with rape in 2020 and has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by more than a dozen women.
Although there was no court ruling against him, many have distanced themselves from the actor in recent days.
In the letter, his supporters wrote: “We can no longer remain silent in the face of the lynching he faces.”
The letter said Depardieu was being attacked “in disregard of the presumption of innocence from which he, like everyone else, would have benefited had he not been the cinema giant that he is.”
Depardieu – who turns 75 on Wednesday – called the signatories “courageous” and praised the letter.
“I thought it was beautiful,” he told broadcaster RTL on the phone.
Depardieu admitted he had been shown the letter before it was published, but insisted he had not asked for it. He also said that a number of personalities had refused to sign it.
The actor is facing new scrutiny over sexually explicit comments, including one about a young girl riding a horse during a trip to North Korea in 2018, which aired for the first time in a documentary on national television this month.
“When people attack Gérard Depardieu in this way, they are attacking art,” the letter said.
“France owes him so much. “Cinema and theater cannot do without his unique and extraordinary personality,” said the celebrities.
“No one can erase the indelible impact of his work on our time.”
Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron said Depardieu had become the target of a “manhunt” while his family denounced an “unprecedented conspiracy” against him.
Human rights activists condemned Macron's comments as an “insult” to all women who have suffered sexual violence. Politicians have also taken Macron to task, including former French President Francois Hollande.
Monday's letter, titled “Don't erase Gérard Depardieu,” sparked a new wave of outrage.
Laurent Boyet, founder of Les Papillons, a group that fights violence against children, said the letter was “indecent” and added that the organization would remove one of the signatories, actor Pierre Richard, as its ambassador.
“We are and will always be on the side of the victims,” Boyet said.
Anne-Cecile Mailfert, head of the women's foundation, told AFP that “no one is above the law”, while activist Emmanuelle Dancourt of the MeTooMedias group said she was “sad” and “horrified” by the letter.
But she also said she understood that Depardieu's friends felt they had to defend him.
“The people who do this are our friends, our fathers, our husbands, our neighbors, our colleagues, people we know,” she said.
Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak said the actor could be stripped of the Legion of Honor, the country's highest award.